


Bullet Train

by mythicbitching



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Tower, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), F/M, Love/Hate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-26 13:10:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3852160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicbitching/pseuds/mythicbitching
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some people click from the very first meeting, Banner and Stark, Romanoff and Barton, but others? Not so much. The Avengers had always been an unlikely team of individuals and the entrance of a new recruit shakes some of the members more than others. Pietro Maximoff doesn't do anything slow and Alexandra Adams hates rushing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spontaneous Combustion

**Author's Note:**

> Ayyy, so bear in mind that this is my first fic in about three years, so take it easy on me. I'm new to Ao3, so if I'm missing something just let me know. In this fic, Pietro survives (as well as Strucker) and the Avengers are limited to the usual team plus Pietro and Wanda.

Alexandra Adams didn't have a tragic backstory, a dismal one perhaps, but not anything that she hadn't brought on herself. Grimacing slightly as the alcohol lined her throat, her stomach churned at the taste. She could never stomach whiskey, but she drank it nevertheless. It was cold and she was numb, both led to an occupied bed and a sour taste in her mouth the morning after. It wasn't an ideal way of life, giving her liver a kick in and fucking her way through strangers at a local bar, but it was how she chose to deal or rather _avoid_ her predicaments and she didn't keep company for long enough for them to disagree.

Signalling for another drink, the second one went down slightly easier than the first as her eyes flickered around the room, resting upon each stranger for a moment before moving on. Some looked troubled, probably alcoholics with shitty jobs and even shittier marriages, others were carefree, college students drinking their weight in beer and eyeing out potential prospects. She knew she shouldn't frown upon them and that if her circumstances had been different she'd be standing among them, leaning over a pool table in a short skirt, but the truth was, she felt much older than that, more cynical and jaded.

Gripping tightly at her glass, her thoughts drifted elsewhere-- a dimly lit room, silent, something probing at her mind as her palms heated and her forehead burned.

 _ **Smash**_.

Barely flinching at the sound, she was dragged back into reality by the fragmented pieces of glass dropping out of her hand as she wiped the stickiness on her jeans. "Tight grip." She said gingerly, offering the bartender an apologetic smile as she hid the scorched fingerprints left on the woodwork, allowing him to sweep the glass away as she remained blissfully unaware of what the night held in store for her.

Sitting at a table across the bar was Natasha Romanoff, she had been tracking the younger girl for a few days, her routine rarely changed and upon visiting the same bar for the third time that week, Natasha was relieved to finally have a development. Eyeing the girl curiously, she could barely hide the look of distaste that had creased onto her features. Adams was a time bomb, ticking away and barely acknowledging the consequences. The way she saw it, today it was a glass and tomorrow it could be the entire bar, of course, it wouldn't be the first time she had resorted a building to ashes and really, that was what unsettled the redhead the most. Though however much she wasn't fond of her was only intensified by her partner.

"You don't like her." She observed as her eyes ran over the girl, her lips pressing into a fine line.

"No."

Pietro Maximoff either said far too much or far too little, either way, it could always been agreed that most people would rather not hear what he had to say if they wished to maintain their pleasant mood. There was an air of superiority that followed him and his heavy accent dripped arrogance with each pessimistic word. As his own eyes wandered to the bar stool, he made no attempt to disguise the blatant roll of his eyes. The girl hadn't been through anything he hadn't before, he knew better than most how it felt to be a lab rat, though he was quick to ignore one key factor; he had always had Wanda and from what he had learnt within the past half an hour, she didn't have anyone worth hearing about.

"Remind me again, vhy am I 'ere?"

"We aren't getting anywhere just watching her and for obvious reasons, it makes more sense for _you_ to follow her. That and she was getting suspicious of Clint, she's a clever girl, knows how to throw someone off. Charm her if you have to, get her to take you home, just give me something to work with."

Taking another sideways glance at the brunette, Pietro let out a defeated sigh. They all had their jobs to do as Avengers and Wanda was awfully fond of reminding him of the importance of them. He hated the restrictions that came with the team, but he complied nevertheless, if not because he wanted to, then at least for his sister. She was happy with their current predicament and as a result he settled. Acknowledging Natasha with a nod, he silenced himself with his drink.

"And _don't_ take advantage of her."

 

. . .

More drunk than she cared to admit, Alexandra found her latest... adaptations slightly harder to control. She could hear the faint sizzle and the smell of burnt wood as she used the bar to support her weight, forcing her eyes to focus. Taking a moment to gather herself, she ran a hand through her hair before removing the hands that had found their way to her waist. Laughing off the affection with a mocking jeer, she dismissed herself, making it particularly clear that none of them would be returning home with her. They were typical city scum, men with wives to return home to and families to build, most nights their company would do, but for tonight, she didn't crave their attention and whatever came after it.

Making her way towards the exit, her eyes wandered over her shoulder to make sure that none of them had followed her before exiting into the street. Attempting to ignore the bitter sting of the harsh New York weather, she folded her arms over her chest as she walked, her pace increasing as her desire to simply get home increased. Making no effort to stay close behind her, Pietro would wait for her to be a significant distance before keeping up. She walked excruciatingly slowly for him and his annoyance for the woman only grew. Huffing dramatically as she made a turning down an alleyway, Pietro seized the opportunity to be there waiting for her; leaning casually against the brickwork, an eyebrow raised, a look of blatant amusement gracing his features as she approached.

"Rough night?"

Eyeing him sceptically, she paused in her step, attempting to determine whether the man posed a threat. Though she hadn't benefited much from her recent experiences, one of the few good things that came from it was her ability to defend herself. Perhaps not with a right hook, but with _something_ and that was good enough for her. "It doesn't concern you."

"Perhaps not, but it iz dark and you are alone."

"Your eye sight is impeccable, really."

Pushing himself from the wall, Pietro forced himself to look at her properly. The truth was, he hadn't really wanted to look at her before and really, he wasn't all that keen on the idea now but he was curious to say the least and her dulcet tone had sparked his interest. She was all sharp edges and defined features, arched eyebrows and dark hair cascading over her shoulders. The girl was beautiful, of course, but he had expected nothing less and while he thought he might enjoy running his lips over the smooth column of her neck, he also thought he might enjoy strangling her instead. "Let me take you home." He proposed, choosing to ignore her previous comment, a smirk growing on his features at the open-ended offer.

Sharing his gaze, she internally berated herself as her eyes wandered over him, she wasn't sure whether it was the self-assured expression she wanted to smack from his face or the way his shirt hugged at his muscle that stirred something within her, but something did and suddenly, the idea of his presence appeared a lot more appealing than crawling into bed alone. Taking a step into his personal space, a look of amusement tugged onto her features. "I am home." Alexandra mused, a scoff slipping her lips as her finger ran along his defined chest, her eyes glancing up to the metal staircase that led up to her apartment.

His smirk only grew as she revealed her inhabitance, he was getting somewhere, but his work wasn't quite done yet. Pietro's hand moved firmly to the curve of her back, pulling her to him as his fingers danced over her skin. It was already a game of push and pull, who could outstage the other and frankly, it was a game both of them so desperately wanted to play, if not because of their attraction, then because of the annoyance the other instilled in them.

"Then vhat are we waiting for?"

At that her fingers clasped around his arm, tugging him up the stairs with her, crashing her lips to his upon reaching the landing. Removing her grip from him with a dramatic huff, Pietro reciprocated immediately, his hand tangling in her hair as his tongue probed at her lips for entrance whilst she fumbled around in her pockets for a keys. Already two steps ahead, his hand delved into her back pocket to remove them, pulling away from the kiss for a moment to twist the key in the lock and allow them in.

Hastily returning to the kiss, Alexandra soon found herself inside and pressed against the wall almost too quickly to be possible, but she didn't question it and instead worked on tugging his shirt over his head. Her lips burned against his, but it was far from an unpleasant sensation. Gripping firmly at her hips, his lips wandered along her jaw before reaching her neck. Sucking and nipping at the exposed skin until a set of purple bruises began to form, Pietro pulled away, the same smug look playing on his features as he picked up his discarded shirt.

"My work here iz done."

Both too shocked and outraged to comment as he let himself out, confusion settled onto her features. His work was nowhere near done, not even close, but as Pietro descended the staircase and tugged the keys for her apartment out of his pocket, he begged to differ.

**Checkmate.**


	2. Pathogens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the amazing feedback, as well as all the kudos and bookmarks, I really appreciate it and it's definitely a motivation for me to get off my ass and actually write something. Sorry this chapter took a while, I literally have no excuse. Though if any of you wanted to put a face to Alex, I envisioned Phoebe Tonkin as her!

While Pietro knew he ought to be disgusted with himself, the opposite was very much true. He was smug and he made no attempt to hide it as he wound up back in the tower. Rifling through his thoughts, he didn't make it too difficult for his sister to find what she was look for as she offered him a look of distaste and a sharp tut as he entered the lounge. Wanda wasn't impressed and though that would usually put a damper on his mood, wiping the smirk from his conquest's face was enough to keep him content. Fishing the keys out of his pocket, he held them out on his finger for Natasha to take as she merely quirked an eyebrow in response.

"That didn't take long."

"I am fast." Pietro countered with a simple shrug, he would have liked to put it down to his charm and natural ability with women, but even he knew that wasn't quite true. The girl had spent the entire night being bothered by men far too old for her and he was young, attractive and her constant occupation at the bar told him that she wasn't awfully fond of returning home to an empty bed and peaceful sleep. She was volatile, that much he was certain of, but also ever so vulnerable.

"Well Speedy, you ought to get some sleep 'cause you're going to have an interesting morning ahead of you." Clint drawled, amusement evident on his features as he shared a glance with Natasha.

"No, no-- that was not part of the deal. You said to 'give you something to work with'," he argued, imitating Natasha's accent with protest in his eyes, "I have given you something to work with, this izn't even my mission!"

"Pietro, you will go." It was his sister who spoke this time and that was when he knew he had little choice. Raising his hands as though to question her motives, his eyes widened as she gave him a stern look. 

"You don't even have to be there, I just need you close in case she decides she'd like to set the place alight and I need to make a quick exit."

Exhaling a sigh, Pietro looked from Natasha to Clint, before rolling his eyes and falling beside his sister, a look of clear exasperation on his face as he prepared himself for the worst for the following morning.

* * *

 

Turning her apartment upside down, Alexandra couldn't help but be alarmed upon realising that her keys were residing in their usual place on the shelf. Checking in last night's clothes, she threw pillows over her shoulder and kicked over her coffee table as she essentially ransacked her own apartment. With a dramatic groan, she reached for her phone and made a short job of informing her boss that there was no chance of her leaving her apartment unlocked in NYC of all places just so she could attend work, that was a joke if she'd ever heard one.

Continuing to rifle through her belongings, it soon dawned on her. With an outraged gasp, she gritted her teeth as images from last night raced through her mind. "That son of a bit-"

"No, not quite." Natasha spoke up as she stepped further into the clearing, it was no surprise that she'd managed to slink in unnoticed, hell, she'd even closed the door without earning the slightest glance in her direction. "I've spent the past month and a half cleaning up your mess, you see."

Quickly shifting into a defensive stance, the brunette eyed her wearily, refusing to allow her intimidation to show through the cracks of her facade. "I  _will_  call the cops and though that's a rather cliche statement, I find it to be rather effective when people break into my home."

"If it wasn't for me, the cops would be here instead. What has it been, Alexandra? A Hydra base, two bars and a forest fire? We can't continue let you continue like this."

Gritting her teeth at the mention of Hydra, she felt her fingers spark up in anticipation as the redhead managed to tug at her strings. "Who is _we_?" She questioned, hostility evident in her voice as she shifted on the spot. However, the answer didn't come quick enough for her and instead her fingers grazed the bookshelf beside her, a single flame running along the length of it. "Leave, leave or I'll burn this place down with us both in it." 

Natasha should have felt sympathetic towards the girl, she was frightened and after all, she'd been there in the past, but it was becoming increasingly difficult when she was so damn difficult to cooperate with. Instinctively reaching for the gun in the holster strapped to her thigh, she eyes widened as she felt in slip from its usual position and before her eyes could even register it, the brunette was being knocked over the head and her gun was thrown back to her. Catching it with ease, she glared at Pietro as he lazily reached an arm out to catch the girl before she slumped to the floor.

"You had it covered, yes?"

Letting out a sigh at the sight, Natasha merely rolled her eyes as she turned to leave the building, shaking her head in disbelief. " _You_ can explain this to Steve."

* * *

 

Slipping back into consciousness, a frown creased onto Alexandra's features at the sharp pain in her head and the hushed tones that filled the room. Feigning sleep, curiosity was the only thing that kept her eyes glued shut and her body still while her every instinct told her to move, run, escape.

"You did _what_?" A voice questioned, outrage clear in his tone as a sigh slipped the male's lips.

"Use your ears, old man. She threatened to burn down a building with half a dozen other families in it, as well as Romanoff, so I knocked her out. You should be thanking me!" The other voiced hissed, equally as frustrated as the first.

"So you kidnapped her? You were responded to persuade her to come with you and instead, you kidnapped he--"

"Sir, you might be interested to know that Miss Adams has awoken." A new voice interrupted, causing her eyes to flicker open immediately. She had been caught out and though she was surprised to find only two men in the room, a voice coming from seemingly nowhere didn't seem too far fetched with the past few she'd had. Clenching her jaw defiantly as the attention was turned to her, her surroundings soon became apparent as she instinctively ripped the patch from her arm and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"You can't make me stay here."

Nodding in recognition, Steve agreed with a comforting smile. "You're right, we can't make you, but we'd like to. From the sound of it, you've had a rough few months and maybe we can help with that."

Turning her attention to the voice, her stifled her look of confusion and almost annoyance as her eyes settled on Captain America, before finally resting on Pietro. "You--" She started, contempt flaring in her eyes as she got to her feet. "I'm not discussing anything as long as _he_ is here." God, that sounded juvenile, but she couldn't find it in herself to care as she eyed him with a look of pure annoyance.

Sharing her look of disgust, Pietro folded his arms over his chest. "Why, prințesă? Afraid you cannot control yourself?"

Practically seething at his words, Alexandra took a step closer, jabbing him in the chest with her finger as she opened her mouth to speak. Smirking as though to provoke her further, Pietro turned to the exit. "Thank me later, yes Mr Rogers?" Sighing in response, Steve was eager to ignore the hostility that had quickly arisen.

"You have unique.. assets and as an individual, you're dangerous, but with some training, you could make a difference, Miss Adams. We want to help you make that difference if you'll allow us."

Alexandra studied him, furrowing her eyes at his request. He seemed solemn, then again, as America's hero she supposed she shouldn't have expected anything less. "I don't work well with others." She stated plainly as though that summarised her answer and instead, he merely chuckled.

"You'll find, Miss Adams, you aren't quite as alone as you think."

"Well, I can hope I am." She muttered under her breath as Steve dismissed himself, a small smile playing on his features at the look of annoyance on her features. As far as he was concerned, she didn't understand yet, but she would and he was willing to give her the time to do so. Her eyes wandered around the room at his departure, the white walls, white floor beginning to make her uncomfortable as she hovered too long. Taking a step towards the door, she sceptically poked her head out of it, surprised that they had the confidence to leave her to roam the building at her free accord. Hell, she wouldn't allow herself to do so.

Cautiously stepping out into the corridor, she half expected an alarm to ring or that third voice to emerge once more and when it didn't, she let out a relieved sigh, though her sanctuary was short lived. Pushing himself from the wall as he had the night before, Pietro stepped into her eye line once more.

"You are staying?"

"If it pisses you off, then yes." The brunette drawled, moving to step around him, a huff of annoyance slipping her lips as he blocked her path. "Move or I'll move you." She warned him, though he was only a mere few inches taller than her, she lacked his muscular build and really, the girl could only hope that he didn't take well to severe burns and a singed t-shirt.

Pietro was ever so drawn to her and though he wished that she would simply leave, he had no desire to let her. Remaining put as she attempted to take another step forward, a smirk curved onto his features at her defeated sigh. When her hand ran down his chest, he subconsciously leant into the contact, raising an eyebrow as his lips gently grazed her ear and then he felt it. 

Letting out a snicker as he jerked away from her, cursing in his native language, Alexandra had stolen his smirk. "That's for knocking me out." She muttered under her breath as she brushed past him, purposely barging him as she finally dragged her eyes away from the dark handprint that remained on his shirt and continued on her self-invited tour of the tour.


End file.
